Chapter 2. Meaning both ‘also’ and ‘only’?
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Davide Ricca
Abstract
Italian pur(e) seems to be quite peculiar among focus markers, since diachronically it displays the whole span of functions, from non-scalar exclusive to non-scalar additive. It is still an open question as to whether or not at some stage of its history pure enjoyed such an extended (nearly self-contradictory) polysemy synchronically too (while it is surely not the case for the contemporary language). The present investigation, based on the large corpus of the Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, casts some doubts on this possibility for Old Italian (approximately until the end of 14th century). Moreover, it surveys the very wide polysemy of pure beyond the functions of focus marker proper, and proposes several different evolutionary paths, among which some involve also non-focus marker uses as intermediate steps.
Abstract
Italian pur(e) seems to be quite peculiar among focus markers, since diachronically it displays the whole span of functions, from non-scalar exclusive to non-scalar additive. It is still an open question as to whether or not at some stage of its history pure enjoyed such an extended (nearly self-contradictory) polysemy synchronically too (while it is surely not the case for the contemporary language). The present investigation, based on the large corpus of the Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, casts some doubts on this possibility for Old Italian (approximately until the end of 14th century). Moreover, it surveys the very wide polysemy of pure beyond the functions of focus marker proper, and proposes several different evolutionary paths, among which some involve also non-focus marker uses as intermediate steps.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Additive Focusing Modifiers from a typological and historical perspective
- Chapter 1. Syntax and semantics of additive focus markers from a cross-linguistic perspective 23
- Chapter 2. Meaning both ‘also’ and ‘only’? 45
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Part II. Additive Focusing Modifiers from a semantic, prosodic and pragmatic perspective
- Chapter 3. On the distribution of additive focus particles addirittura and perfino/persino in Italian 79
- Chapter 4. French additive particle aussi 107
- Chapter 5. Processing additivity in Spanish 137
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Part III. Additive Focusing Modifiers from a discourse-oriented perspective
- Chapter 6. Mapping additivity through translation 157
- Chapter 7. The scalar operator even and its German equivalents 201
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Part IV. Additive Focusing Modifiers from a language contact perspective
- Chapter 8. Additive focus particles in German-speaking learners of Italian as L2 237
- Chapter 9. Additive relations in L2 French 265
- Chapter 10. Ënghe, ence and also anche 311
- Focusing modifiers index 331
- General index 333
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Additive Focusing Modifiers from a typological and historical perspective
- Chapter 1. Syntax and semantics of additive focus markers from a cross-linguistic perspective 23
- Chapter 2. Meaning both ‘also’ and ‘only’? 45
-
Part II. Additive Focusing Modifiers from a semantic, prosodic and pragmatic perspective
- Chapter 3. On the distribution of additive focus particles addirittura and perfino/persino in Italian 79
- Chapter 4. French additive particle aussi 107
- Chapter 5. Processing additivity in Spanish 137
-
Part III. Additive Focusing Modifiers from a discourse-oriented perspective
- Chapter 6. Mapping additivity through translation 157
- Chapter 7. The scalar operator even and its German equivalents 201
-
Part IV. Additive Focusing Modifiers from a language contact perspective
- Chapter 8. Additive focus particles in German-speaking learners of Italian as L2 237
- Chapter 9. Additive relations in L2 French 265
- Chapter 10. Ënghe, ence and also anche 311
- Focusing modifiers index 331
- General index 333
